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General Information

Crosscutters lead off Week 3 of Camp ESCAPE

Youngsters grab a seat for a Q&A with the 'cutters. From left are Maldonado, Bennett, Lancaster, Litton and Gomez.
Youngsters grab a seat for a Q&A with the ‘cutters. From left are Maldonado, Bennett, Lancaster, Litton and Gomez.
The players take sides in a dodgeball matchup ...
The players take sides in a dodgeball matchup …
... and pose for a parting shot with campers.
… and pose for a parting shot with campers.

Five players from the Williamsport Crosscutters’ roster, fresh from the season’s opening weekend, started the week with a visit to Penn College’s Camp ESCAPE. Pitchers Blake Bennett, Michael Gomez and Omar Maldonado, along with shortstop Seth Lancaster (who went 3 for 4 in his 2019 debut) and third baseman Connor Litton joined campers for conversation and dodgeball in the Field House. The ‘cutters are scheduled for five home games this week, including a rain-forced Monday doubleheader against the West Virginia Black Bears.
 Photos by Jeremy R. Bottorf, coordinator of athletics for club sports, intramurals and camps

General Information

Renamed in memoriam, Flag March again capped by campus celebration

Scouts lead the procession with a banner reflecting the event's new name.

The 36th annual Anthony DiSalvo Flags Across America March, reborn in tribute to its late founder and christened with a cool breeze and ample sunshine, traveled Friday evening from nearby Nichols Place to the 60-by-30-foot “Old Glory” that adorns Penn College’s main entrance. During a ceremony outside the Student & Administrative Services Center, participants joined in a national recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at 7 p.m., listened to stirring patriotic music, honored the veterans among them, and heard from elected officials and Scouting leaders. Trophies were presented in a number of categories, carrying on a tradition begun by DiSalvo – celebrated as a “veteran, a patriot and a Boy Scout” – and the crowd enjoyed hot dogs and bottled water at the proceedings’ close.

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General Information

Board approves 2019-20 budget, appointment of provost

The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors on Thursday voted to approve the college’s 2019-20 budget and the appointment of Michael J. Reed as vice president for academic affairs and provost, which will be effective July 1.

The board also signed off on annual gifts to the City of Williamsport and the Williamsport Area School District and approved the roster for the Community Arts Center Board of Directors.

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General Information

Board approves 2019-20 Penn College budget, tuition, fees

The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors has approved a 2019-20 budget of $157.3 million, which represents a $7.1 million (4.3%) decrease in spending from 2018-19.

The budget includes a 2.95% tuition increase for Pennsylvania residents, marking five consecutive years of increases held below 3%. When tuition and fees are combined, the increase is lower: 2.51%.

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Faculty & Staff

Chief academic officer named at Penn College

Michael J. Reed

Michael J. Reed has been appointed vice president for academic affairs and provost at Pennsylvania College of Technology, effective July 1. His appointment was approved Thursday by the Penn College Board of Directors.

Reed, who has been employed at Penn College since 2014, had been serving as vice president for academic operations and associate provost. Previously, he was dean, interim dean and assistant dean of the School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications.

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Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Plastics & Polymer Workforce Development

Extrusion workshop attracts plastics pros

Brennan B. Wodrig, PIRC program manager, (third from left) works with workshop participants on generating coextruded sheets during the recent Extrusion Seminar & Hands-On Workshop at Penn College.

The expertise offered by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its acclaimed Plastics Innovation & Resource Center attracted an array of plastics professionals to campus for the recent Extrusion Seminar and Hands-On Workshop.

Individuals representing 22 companies from 10 states, Canada and Italy attended the 21st annual event that featured extrusion experts Chris Rauwendaal, president of Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering Inc., and Kirk M. Cantor, professor of plastics and polymer technology.

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Faculty & Staff

Custodian fights childhood cancer, mile by mile

Chris FreyGreat Cycle Challenge USAA third-shift custodian at Penn College is taking part in the Great Cycle Challenge USA during June, biking and running throughout the month to raise money for – and awareness of – pediatric cancer. General Services employee Chris S. Frey is logging miles on behalf of Declan Bower, his cousins’ 6-year-old son, who was diagnosed several years ago with leukemia. Declan’s parents are Penn College employees, as well: Kristy L. is a nursing office assistant and Joshua A. is director of the physician assistant program. Those wishing to donate can access Frey’s “Team Declan” sponsor page.

Collision Repair & Restoration Faculty & Staff Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Student-restored vehicle revered at high-profile venue

Pat Swigart rides in a 1947 Tucker prototype restored at Penn College ...
Pat Swigart rides in a 1947 Tucker prototype restored at Penn College …
... and joins her cherished campus partners after accepting an award in Hershey. With Swigart (from left) are automotive restoration students Adam J. Davis, of Doylestown, and Joshua E. Marr, of Shickshinny; and Robert K. Vlacich, assistant professor of automotive service.
… and joins her cherished campus partners after accepting an award in Hershey. With Swigart (from left) are automotive restoration students Adam J. Davis, of Doylestown, and Joshua E. Marr, of Shickshinny; and Robert K. Vlacich, assistant professor of automotive service.

Penn College students lent a practiced hand to the preservation of the “Tin Goose,” a 1947 precursor to the historically significant Tucker automobile, which was named “Best Post-War Vehicle” at this past weekend’s Concours d’Elegance in Hershey. The car is owned by the William E. Swigart Jr. Automobile Museum in Huntingdon and was entrusted to automotive restoration technology students by Pat Swigart – a gracious and grateful supporter of their work since soon after the major debuted in 2012. “Penn College is so happy to be able to work with her collection and thank her for her dedication to us,” the Classic Cruisers club said in a social media post. “The students who restored her car worked very hard … with this amazing historical vehicle. Thank you again to Ms. Swigart for her dedication and support of us.” Joined by faculty members Roy H. Klinger and Robert K. Vlacich, the group also assisted in vehicle repairs for several drivers in the Grand Ascent hill climb for vintage automobiles.
Photos provided

Faculty & Staff Forestry Landscape/Horticulture Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Penn College’s ‘Tree Campus USA’ designation renewed

Observing Penn College’s repeat Tree Campus USA designation amid examples of healthy campus greenery are (from left) Don J. Luke, director of facilities operations; Eric C. Easton, forestry instructor; Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture; Andrea L. Mull, General Services horticulturist/grounds and motor pool manager; and Justin W. Beishline, assistant dean of transportation and natural resources technologies.

For the fourth year in a row, Pennsylvania College of Technology has been honored with Tree Campus USA recognition for establishing and sustaining healthy community forests.

The national program was created a dozen years ago by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor educational institutions for helping to foster the next generation of environmental stewards.

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Events

Blues legend to open Art Center’s 26th season

Award-winning blues artist Buddy Guy will headline the Community Arts Center’s 2019-20 season with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. Guy’s recently released 18th solo LP, “The Blues Is Alive and Well,” is a popular follow-up to “Born to Play Guitar” (a Grammy winner for Best Blues Album in 2016) and showcases the talent he will casually display on the CAC stage: a raw and unadulterated sound that is a true pleasure for aficionados and genre newcomers alike. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. June 24, and can be purchased at the CAC website, through the CACLive app or by calling the box office at 570-326-2424.

Events Gallery

‘Hundred Dresses Project’ grows tenfold through community engagement

A young visitor enjoys an “interactive dress” on which felt shapes can be added to create a design; some of the shapes offer positive words: honesty, respect, kindness, empathy and patience.

The “Hundred Dresses Project” has expanded to more than 1,000 dresses in The Gallery at Penn College, where a reception was held Thursday evening to honor the artistry, empathy and outreach stirred by the engaging endeavor. On display through July 23, the exhibit features more than 150 dress prints created by professional artists and over 1,000 dress prints made by youngsters in six area school districts. The outreach to area schools was initiated by Penny Griffin Lutz, gallery director, and supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The creator of “The Hundred Dresses Project” – artist Crystal Cawley – traveled from Maine to offer a gallery talk at the reception and facilitate a Friday workshop on paper and fiber art. An educator at Maine College of Art, she described the inspiration and origins behind the project and discussed the importance of creating art to “cope with hardship,” as the young heroine did in the classic children’s book, “The Hundred Dresses,” and the ability of art to create kindness and community. Outreach efforts will continue with performances of “The Hundred Dresses” by Studio 570 in the gallery on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, June 13-30. “The Hundred Dresses” exhibit can be viewed during the gallery’s summer hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed Saturdays and Mondays, and will be closed July 3-7.)

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Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies PIRC Plastics & Polymer Workforce Development

Season of well-regarded plastics workshops continues

Patrick White, of Thermo Fisher Scientific in Millersburg, performs a hands-on exercise during a Plastics Materials, Processing and Testing workshop at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Nearly two dozen registrants from eight companies in Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania attended the recent Plastics Materials, Processing and Testing workshop hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology’s world-renowned Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

The May 20-22 workshop, one of many that attract industry professionals to campus each summer, provided participants with a fundamental knowledge of polymers and how they are processed, tested and characterized.

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Corporate Relations Ford Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Ford ASSET student awarded automotive scholarship

Scholarship recipient Derek T. Dreps (holding check) is surrounded by well-wishers in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center. From left are Chad Koch, general sales manager at Blaise Alexander Ford of Mansfield; Ralph Diodata, chief financial officer, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships; Deni Cecco, regional manager for the Pennsylvania Automotive Association; Dreps’ parents, Kendra and Michael; and Aubrey and Adam Alexander.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology student enrolled in the college’s Ford ASSET major and working at a Tioga County dealership has received a $5,000 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Automotive Association.

Derek T. Dreps, of Liberty, was presented with a check in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center in late May. The PAA Automotive Technology Scholarship, awarded through a fund within the PAA Foundation to a student in a qualifying academic program, is renewable for an additional year.

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